This is the next version of my live video performance (VJ) application. It is an updated version of the program I used for my recent performances at MIAF: Remains To Be Seen and Liquid Architecture 6.

Like the previous version, Bikelights: a Quartz vidget, MIAF-LA6 features one window with controls on the left hand side and a display on the right. It is designed so that I can have the controls on my laptop screen while sending the video from my second monitor output at 640 * 480 to a projector by arranging my monitors like so and dragging the window across.

At some stage I’ll work out how to do two separate windows but this works well for the moment

Where the previous version only allowed the display of one source image at a time, this version lets the user layer two separate images through a number of effects and outputs. The left hand side of the control area is split two (Source Clip A and Source Clip B). Each area contains four empty text fields where Quicktime movies may be dragged and dropped from the Finder (click in the field to activate it, drag and drop, then hit Enter to set).

Below the four movie path fields is a fifth path field which allows the user to specify a local path to a folder of still images. Again folder paths may also be either typed in manually or dragged from the Finder. After pressing Enter the “# of Images” field should update, letting you know how many images are in the folder you specified. To the left of this field is the “Sequence Duration”, this lets you specify how long (in seconds) it should take to cycle through all of the images in the folder. For example, if you have 8 images and want them to play through at four frames per second second you should set the duration to 2 seconds.

To the right of these fields is a large vertical slider, this lets the user select any one of the four Quicktime Movies or the folder image sequence to process and display.

To control the playback speed of the Quicktime movies, check the “Clip Speed Control” box and move the horizontal slider below. If unchecked the movie will play out at normal speed. If checked the speed will be controlled by a combination of the slider position and live audio analysis (if you have a microphone set up). The far left of the slider is 0 * original speed, the far right is 5 * original speed. If a microphone is connected, the video will jump up to one second forward through the clip with the loudest audio peak.

Below the speed controls are the image controls. These controls allow the user to adjust the saturation, brightness, contrast and colour angle of the clips or image sequences. To leave the Quicktime movie unaffected uncheck the “Image Controls” box.

On the right hand side of the control area is the output stage, the “Renderers”. Each renderer may be switched on and off via a check box and be used to display either source A or source B (or a combination of the two in the case of the “Billboard” and “Inset Image” renderers).

Download miaf2vidget.zip (Mac OS 10.4 required)

Download miaf2quartz.zip (Quartz Composer file)

Download miaf2xcode.zip (Xcode project)

This work is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 licence.

Technorati Tags: Quartz Composer, vidget

One of the coolest things I’ve discovered about Quartz Composer lately is the fact that you can use it (in combination with Xcode) create stand alone applications with custom interfaces all without having to know any ‘proper’ programming. So, here’s one of my first experiments….

This vidget is a simplified version of a larger Quartz Composer patch I have been using to perform with recently. It allows the user to import a number of Quicktime files or still images and apply a number of effects to them.

On the left hand side of the window are five text fields which store the local path to each movie file. To add your own clips, simply click in the field and then drag the movie’s icon from the finder into the field and press enter.

Just to the right of these text fields is a selection slider, which is used to select which source clip is to be effected. The arrow will snap to each of the clips as you slide or click it.

Below the and to the left are more sliders which control the clip’s playback speed, saturation, brightness, contrast, and hue angle. All of these work in real time to adjust the display of the clip.

To the right of these image controls are check boxes for the different rendering effects. They are ordered from top to bottom in terms of the layers onto which they are drawn. The top three have optional black ‘clear’ backgrounds which block out the layers below.

Expanding audio renders the clip onto three layers, red, blue and green and uses live audio input to resize the three layers to produce a coloured motion blur effect.

Particle system renders the clip onto hundreds of small layers which explode out from a randomly selected point on the screen.

Slow moving layers renders the clip onto four layers which crop the image and oscillate in 3d space based on a combination of audio input and low frequency oscillators.

Inset Image produces a ‘picture in picture’ effect which is manipulated by audio input.

Download (requires Mac OS X 10.4).
BikeLights Clips (these tiny lo-fi clips of my bike lights were shot with my phone and are the reason for the name, try them out)
Quartz Composer file
Xcode Project

This work is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 licence.

Technorati Tags: Quartz Composer, vidget